The Foot Soldiers of the Himalayas

Ram Prasad - AO Partner in Nepal

Asian Outreach Malaysia supports some 11 Foot Soldiers in Nepal, serving in the remote areas on the Himalayan Mountain Range. They are dedicated men and women who have experienced God in a powerful way and have given their lives to serving Him. They do not choose where to go but go where they are called to go and even though they face numerable challenges their faith never wavers. Some of the areas they serve require walking for days on foot up the mountains and even on dangerous terrain but their love for God surpasses every hardship and challenge that comes their way. This are their stories.

Testimony of Basudev Thing

My name is Basudev Thing and I am 45 years old. During my childhood, my family was very poor and my father struggled to put food on the table for us. Many a time we went to bed hungry and life was so difficult. Attending school was simply out of the question for me and my siblings. My father was a farmer so all of us at an early age had to help in the farm. When I was 11 years old, my mother fell ill and as we were too poor to take her to a hospital she passed away and our life became even worse as my father was unable to really care for us but he did try his best.

In my twenties I married and now have three children of my own. But the vicious cycle of poverty that I experienced in my childhood my children now were experiencing. I could not afford to send them to school so when he was old enough my eldest son got a job as a public bus driver in the city and my daughter got married. Now I am trying to send my youngest child to school but financially it is hard but I trust God will provide for all my needs.

I was not a religious man and no idea about Jesus or salvation. I enjoyed drinking even though I could not afford it and eventually drinking and smoking became part of my everyday life. This was my escape from all the hardships and challenges I had to face daily. For a while, I could forget all this as the effects of alcohol took over. However, I loved my wife and children and I did work hard trying to provide for them. My wife and I used to work hard in the field cultivating seasonal crops and grain and because of this my family never went hungry and we always had food on our table.

There was a time, when my eldest son got very sick and we could not find out what was wrong. He could not eat and lost a lot of weight. His condition got worse, I took him to the hospital but his health continued to deteriorate. I took him to Hindu gurus and Buddhists temples and yet his health continued to worsen. Finally my family lost hope and accepted that my son was going to die. Our neighbour came to see my son and asked us to take him to church. She persuaded us that we had nothing to lose and although the church was 20km away we took him. The Pastor prayed over my son and his prayer was so effective that it gave us hope again and I immediately felt this Jesus could heal my son. This was my first time ever in a church but this place became a place which gave me assurance and I started coming as often as I could. There were people in the church every day and they would always lay hands on my son and pray for him. As a result, within days we could see changes in his health and within a few weeks he recovered completely. This was the turning point in my life and in 1991 my whole family accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

It’s all about Christ's love that fascinated me to get involved in his ministry and I continued serving in the church and attending Bible classes. As I grew in His word I began to understand the significance of fulfilling the Great Commission. I felt the call of God urgently on my life and I committed my life to serving God. I now have my own church in the village and God has blessed my ministry. God has provided for us a piece of land to build our church but in April 25^th 2015 the building collapsed during the earthquake while we were having our service in church. However, God has been faithful and kind towards us and although the church’s walls and roof collapsed, we were all safe. It was indeed a miracle that not one of us was hurt although looking at our collapsed church one would think not many would have survived.

Praise God I now have planted 6 churches in various villages in our district and we trust that God will provide all the finances needed to rebuild our church. We face new challenges with the present political situation and the anti-conversion law but nothing will stop me from sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I will keep pressing on to ensure the salvation of my people. Kindly uphold me and my ministry in your prayer.

Testimony of Purna Bisunkhe

I was born into a staunch Hindu family but my family was going through hard times because my mother used to faint every day for 7 years. We took her to the doctors, traditional healers and offered religious ceremonies by sacrificing animals so that my mother could be healed. My father spent all the money he had until he lost hope and decided to let her die. I used to question why this was happening to my mother. We were a pious Hindu family following all the traditions and rituals, even offering animal sacrifices why did God not answer our prayers. One day a man who had accepted Jesus came to us and said, “If you took your mother to the church and believe in Jesus then He would heal your mother because there is a freedom in Jesus Christ.” However, we did not believe him because we had tried all sorts of religious rituals. But this man kept badgering us to take my mother to church and so one day I decided to take her.

I carried my mother in my arms and walked for an hour to get to the church but on reaching the church the members were suspicious of us and told us we could not come in but could sit outside and follow the service. We kept going for nine months but the church members never accepted us and we always had to remain outside the door, never being allowed to set foot inside. It was so humiliating but we never gave up because my mother and I listened attentively to the Gospel being preached and we found peace and joy in the praise and worship. After a few months we began to notice a change in my mother. She gained her strength and did not pass out as often as she used to. She told us that Jesus would heal her completely and that we had to trust in Him. Praise God He granted her complete healing and my whole family accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.

Eventually we got help from another church and my brother and I became Pastors and started our own church. God gave me a vision to start a church in Dura Gaun, a two hour walk from my home and when I shared the Gospel in the village four people come to the Lord. But as time passed the Maoist insurgency started and churches were closed. They kidnapped us and we were taken to the jungle. Once we were freed I stared going to the believer's houses at night to encourage and nurture them in their faith until the Maoist found out. Fearing for my life I left my family behind and fled to another area. After hiding for 7 days I was informed that my wife was very ill and disregarding my safety, I rushed home. God healed my wife and I repented for not trusting God but fleeing instead. My wife and I rededicated our lives to serving God and standing firm on our faith. I went back to Dura Gaun and kept on preaching, teaching and building the body of Christ and the Lord protected me and blessed my ministry.

I always thank the lord for choosing me to become His servant to expand His kingdom. Now I am also involved in training disciples which takes me to different places to share the Gospel and train and build disciples.

Samuel 12:24 “But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.”

There are so many more testimonies out there some told and some untold and you who have partnered with us in our Foot Soldiers Ministry played a part in each soul that was saved. Although you were not physically there, you did not preach or share the Gospel with them but you empowered the foot soldiers to go and that was the first step in reaching those souls saved. Many of you pray for these nameless, faceless foot soldiers whom you do not know and this is a vital part in any ministry. As one in the body of Christ we are working together to ensure the Gospel is preached to every soul.    

Romans 10:14-16 “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”